Fruit juice extractor



Dec. 4, 1934. E. 'r. KEEN AN 1,982,741

FRUIT JUICE EXTRACTOR Filed May 17, 1950 ;l produced.

patented Dec. 4, I934 i V UNITEDKSTATES' PATENT, OFFICE FR I JUICE ExTRAo'ioR; w Edward T Keenan, Frostproof,- Fla.- i Application May'fI-7, 1930, Serial- No. 453,396

' 11 Claims." (o1. 146 -3) This invention relates .to an improvement in the numeral 13, in Fig. 1, which travels along a a method of extracting citrus juices bymeans of table beside or in linewithv the plate 3. The compressed air. or other gases, or by means of a sections offruit are transferred from. the belt vacuum. a to a position over the openings 5 in the plate 3, 5 The use of citrus fruit juice as a beverage is andlthese sections are designated generally by 60.

becoming more popular, and methods are and the numeral 14.. have been developed for the placing of this fruit At the same time that thesections 14 are juice'in cans or bottles, which .will amount to placed on the plate 3 over the openings .5, air about one-half the volume of the fresh fruit will be automatically turned on through the pipe g or pipes 9, the chamber 8 and the openings 5, To extract this fruit juice from the fresh fruit forcing its wayout. through the openings in jets has been a most expensive and unsatisfactory and into and about the juice sacks of the fruit, operation in connection with the problem. Herethese jets of air cutting the juice sacks from the tofore, this has been accomplished by cutting the skin and blowing them down through the open- ;15 fruit in half and either squeezing the sections or ings l1 and 12,where they are received in a suitholding the halves against a revolving burr to able receptacle, such as a bucket or the like. remove the juice and pulp from the hulls or skins The sections 14 should preferably be rotated of the fruit. either manually or mechanically so as to bring It is the object of this invention to substandifferent po s i line Over t p s 5 a d g tially simplify and improve this operation by to aid in cutting the juice sacks from the skins. removing the juice through the use of compressed ter t j e Seeks ve been effectively air or other gases, or even by the use of avacuum, moved from the skins, the latter are removed acting on the sections of the fruit to force the from the plate, which automatically cuts off the juice sacks from the skins and into a suitable mp d air Other gases s d u t another 25' receptacle. section is in place.

In the accompanying drawing: The operation may be entirely automatic and Fig. l is a top plan view of an apparatus which serves as an effective means for removing the may be used to carry out the invention; and juice sacks from the sections of the citrus fruit.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view therethrough. While mp ss d air is pr f ra y t th r A table is represented by. the numeral 1, havgas s und pr ssu may be us d ins ad, as ing a recess or seat 2 in the surface thereof, in found desirable, or a vacuum may be used in which is mounted a plate 3 secured in place by p a Of the p ss d as s W th th set screws 4. The plate 1 is provided with 2. improved construction with slight alteration in series of apertures 5 therethrough and so arthe p 5 ranged as to be disposed under the half of a If s d, the a r y be upp through a section of grapefruit, orange or the like, which revolving bu 0f e usual i d, the air j s may be placed over the plate 3. forcing the juice sacks through openings in the A casing 6 is secured beneath the plate 3 by P t means of set screws '7, or the like, and this casing I Claim! 6 has a chamber 8 therein communicating with 1. A method of extracting juice sacks or the the openings 5 in the plate 3. One or more pipes like from citrus fruit, comprising subjecting the 9 extend to the chamber 8 for supplying air interior of the fruit to the action of air jets under thereto, and if desired baffles 10 may be disposed a pressure greater than atmospheric to force the in the chamber immediately above the openings juice sacks from the skins.

, 5; of the pipes 9. 2. A method of removing the juice or pulp The casing 6 has a central opening 11 therefrom sections of citrus fruit or the like, compristhrough registering with a central opening 12 in ing subjecting the interior of the fruit to the the plate 3, through which the juice sacks and action of a jet of compressed gas to force the portions of the pulp may be removed therewith juice and pulp from the skins. 5 and forced downward into a suitable receptacle. 3. A method of removing portions from a half In the operation of the invention, the fruit, section of citrus fruit or the like comprising subsuch as orange, grapefruit or the like, may be jecting the open side of the section to one or cut in half along a line corresponding with the more jets of compressed gaseous medium. equator, and the sections may be placed on a 4. A method of removing juice and pulp from .55; suitable belt conveyor, designated generally by the interior of a half section of citrus fruit or the like comprising directing one or more jets of gas under pressure against the open side of the section.

5. A device of the character described comprising a plate having openings therein to receive a section of citrus fruit, and means for forcing jets of fluid from said openings to sever portions of the interior of the fruit from the skins thereof. 1

6. A device of the character described comprising a plate having openings therein to receive a section of citrus fruit or the like, and to apply a fluid action thereto to remove the juice sacks from the skins, said plate having an, opening therein to be disposed approximately at the center of the fruit section to receive the'juice sacks therefrom. y

7. A device of the character described comprising a plate having openings therein to receive a section of citrus fruit or the like, and to apply a fluid action thereto to remove the juice sacks from the skins, said plate having an opening therein to be disposed approximately at the center of the fruit section to receive the juice sacks therefrom, and a casing secured beneath the plateand having a chamber therein communicating with the openings in the. plate.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination with a table having a recess in the surface thereof, of a plate seated in said recess and having a plurality of constricted orifices in the surface thereof to be disposed beneath a citrus fruit section, said plate having an enlarged recess approximately at the center of the orifices for the removal of portions of the fruit section, a chamber disposed beneath and communieating with the orifices, and means for securing said chamber in place beneath the plate.

9. A fruit juice extractor comprising a nozzle having one or more openings therein to receive the open side of a half section of citrus fruit or the like, and means for forcing gas under pressure through said opening or openings in the form of jets which impinge against the open side of the fruit to remove portions of the interior from the skins thereof.

10 ,.A- fruit juice extractor comprising a nozzle having one or more openings therein to receive the open side of a half section of citrus fruit or the like, and means for forcing gas under pressure through said opening or openings in the form of jets which impinge against the open side of the fruit to remove portions of the interior from the skins thereof, said nozzle having an enlarged central exit opening to receive the removed portions.

11. A process for removing juice from succulent fruit comprising forming an opening in the covering of the fruitand impinging an air current against the succulent core to remove same through the opening of the covering.

EDWARD'T. KEENAN. 

